The present invention relates to Interactive Voice Response (IVR) communication systems and methods and particularly relates to visual call enhancements in IVR systems. The present invention more particularly relates to enhancing user experience by providing interactive audio visual calls in IVR systems.
Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that allows a computer or a machine to interact with humans through the use of voice and dual-tone multi-frequency signaling (DTMF) keypad inputs. IVR systems are typically used to service high call volumes, reduce cost, and improve customer experience. Examples of typical IVR applications are telephone banking, televoting, and credit card services. Companies also use IVR services to extend their business hours to 24/7 operation.
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology is generally used to detect voice and key inputs from a caller. The advent of Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems has reduced operating costs for many types of businesses for providing services. Generally, IVR systems allows a user to interact with an audio or visual response system. The IVR systems can provide prompts to a user and receive touch tone and/or spoken responses on the prompts from the user. Through such IVR dialogue the system collects sufficient information about the user to direct the call to the most appropriate resource, information processing system or the like.
Typically, the caller calling the destination may have to listen and follow instructions on the menu to get a desired response or a function performed. Therefore, the process can be time consuming. Moreover, in case the caller provides an incorrect input, the complete process may have to be repeated. Further, the communication experience in existing art is limited, as the user has limited information about a call recipient at the other end, when the user initiates a communication. Similarly the recipient of the call also has limited information about the caller at the time of receiving the call. Another problem faced in current communication technologies is lack of visual interface for the Enterprise IVR system and lack of visual interactivity with the Enterprise representative on the call.
Consider a scenario, where a user is attempting to establish a call and browse data on a user equipment (UE), wherein browsing data on the UE includes, but not limited to, browsing web pages, accessing applications, and the like. As both call and web browsing are different processes, they need to be accessed independently. According to the existing technologies, it is difficult for the user to use call and data at the same time even if they are related to each other, as both the call and web browsing are accessed on different interfaces. This indeed leads to limiting the user experience. Further, currently only interactive voice response feature is available to the user, wherein whenever the uses wishes to opt for any services, the user can establish a call with the particular destination, list of options are announced from the destination in audio format, the user has to give response to the output audio in the form of pressing given option numbers and the particular service will be rendered. But, currently there are no methodologies and systems available that can provide interactive visual response (IVR) to the user, wherein the user can establish a voice call with the particular destination, view the options on the display of the UE by browsing the data, select the option from his UE and access the services.
In view of the foregoing, there is need for a system and method that enables exchange of customized information between the caller and the called party. Further, there is need for a system and method that addresses lack of visual interface visual interactivity in IVR systems.
The above mentioned shortcomings, disadvantages and problems are addressed herein and which will be understood by reading and studying the following specification.